Residents throughout the Village of Malverne gathered at Connolly Station to support the Steven McDonald Garden of Forgiveness Cocktail Party Fundraiser on Aug. 7.

Hosted by the Steven McDonald Memorial Corporation, the fundraiser helped to support the Garden of Forgiveness at Westwood Park. The garden recognizes the life, service, sacrifice and family of McDonald, who was shot in 1986 in Central Park and left paralyzed until his death nearly 31 years later, in January 2017, at age 59. The memorial corporation was founded in March by members of the Malverne Chamber of Commerce, the Civic Association and the Rotary Club, which sought to find a way to honor McDonald.

The Memorial Corporation broke ground on the garden last October, and estimated that the creation of the Garden of Forgiveness would cost roughly $75,000. In addition, corporation officials said they hoped that through donations, a scholarship fund could be established. Those interested in contributing to funds for the Garden of Forgiveness can go to bit.ly/2RCAxgh.